Prostitution has been a subject of legal, political and philosophical debate for centuries. It is perhaps the oldest "profession" in the world, and ever since it began society has argued over its merits. More often than not, societies have chosen to outlaw prostitution. But the legal sanctions against it have proven as ineffective as today's legal sanctions against drug use. It must be recognized that many people--throughout history and within every society--find the practice of prostitution desirable.
The purpose of this research is to discuss whether legal sanctions against prostitution in the United States should be continued, or whether prostitution should be legalized. In approaching this issue, the history of prostitution shall be briefly presented, along with a discussion of the possible effects on public health. Several of the major arguments against prostitution shall be critically examined.
Prostitution may be defined as the practice of habitual or intermittent sexual intercourse, more or less promiscuous, for profitable purposes. It is thus characterized by three elements: payment, usually involving money, although gifts and other favors may constitute payment; promiscuity; and emotional indifference, which results from the elements of payment and promiscuity.
The element of profit was not always profit for the prostitute. In primitive societies, all profit from prostitution sometimes went to the prostitute's parents or husband. In societies where the system of marriage by purchase flourished, a woman's body was viewed as property that belonged to her parents before marriage and her husband after marriage. Along the Ivory Coast, among several American Indian tribes, and among the Bakoko of the Cameroon, parents and husbands prostituted their women for gain to themselves.
The transition of the rights of husbands to the rights of god produced a form of religious prostitution in some societies. Among ...